Aetna, an health insurance agency, has recently agreed to settle with the State of Missouri for $1.5 million after violating strict requirements regarding abortions, contraception, and autism in insurance policies. Missouri has unique laws that outline what insurance agencies are allowed to do and what they are not allowed to do involving these three touchy subjects. In 1983 a law was made that prohibits abortion coverage from basic insurance policies and instead requires payment of an additional premium. A 2001 Missouri law states that birth control prescriptions should be covered under policies with pharmaceutical benefits. That law also allows people to purchase a plan with contraception coverage if their employer’s plan does not offer it. Aetna provided coverage for contraceptives and abortions without allowing employers to opt out. According to officials, Aetna had also excluded coverage for autism spectrum disorders.

The mortgage insurer MGIC Investment Group has settled a federal lawsuit alleging that they refused to sell mortgage insurance to women on maternity leave. The suit claimed that the company required 70 women to return to work before they would sell them the insurance, which “allows homebuyers to take out loans with down payments of less than 20%”, according to the Wall Street Journal. Yesterday, the company settled for $550,000, with $511,000 to be compensation for the women and $39,000 as a civil penalty to the government. In addition, MGIC will have to train its employees on discrimination law and revamp its policies concerning customers on maternity leave. The company has also entered a preliminary settlement in a related class action suit in order to avoid spending any more money on a lawsuit they will likely lose.